That Thin Line
by darkroydante
Summary: The tale of the lost hero, on his futile quest to bring peace to ruined Boletaria. Bring more souls... Rated M for pretty bad swearing and decent amounts of violence and gore. And frustration.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh, for God's sake." I had to say something; the silence had been gnawing at my nerves for the last few hours. The trees had begun to thin, the air chilling as well. At least I knew I was still heading north, to the ruins of Boletaria.

Or, rumored ruins, I suppose.

Almost two years had passed since the once-powerful kingdom had vanished from the civilized world. Rumors from every region spoke of bandits, or warrior tribes who had pillaged the land. Of course, the other tales were about twenty-story demons and fire-breathing beasts, so take everything with a grain of salt.

Either way, not a soul who ventured in had returned.

So, beg the question, "Why the hell are you going in?"

Quite simple, the demons. Rumors of the scourge and of the power housed within a mature demon's soul. I sought that power, the power that terrified Verrifax of the Twin Fangs. The dark power that lured in legendary mages and mighty warriors alike. I would join the great heroes, and wipe the evil from the lands.

Course, that would happen only if I could find the fucking palace!

"What the bloody hell is going on here? I should at least be able to see the Latrian Southern Swamp by now! Been walking for damn hours…" It felt nice to complain, since there was little else to do besides walk. It was so quiet; I could almost swear my leather clothes were creaking. I let out a low breath, running a fingerless-gloved hand through a thick mass of violet colored hair.

Yes, it's stylish. No, I won't answer any other questions. I thought it was cool, 'nuff said.

My musings, otherwise known as humming aimlessly, was cut short by a heavy snap of twigs ahead. I hopped to alert as fast as possible, quickly shoving my hands back through the gauntlets I had kept strapped to my side. Keeping an eye to the meandering path, I tapped around for my weapons.

Throwing knives, check.

Dagger, check.

Spear, check.

Shield, check.

All clear, ready to rumble.

Unsheathing my dagger silently, I crept forward, ducking between trees at quick intervals. Finally, I came to a small clearing, the early morning sun rising directly before me.

I managed to curse in the back of my mind. When the bloody hell did I turn east? No wonder I was heading nowhere.

Well, at least while I was here…

"Excuse me sirs…" I stepped out from behind the thick oak, waving a hand casually. The two men, both with dark, blotted skin, snapped to attention, clumsily swinging to my direction. I heard the click of a sheath, and an eye blink later, a short sword materialized a hair's breadth from my face.

Oh dear…

They had moved hella faster than I thought, but I already had weapons ready, so I managed to stumble diagonally, putting the three of us in a straight line. This basically negated their number advantage.

Not like numbers meant much, since the first who swung took a throwing dagger to the throat. Damn lucky shot, that was. As he fell, his bud launched at me, using the dying body as a springboard.

One violent curse later, I rolled to the side, tripping him up as he landed. I rolled back over him as gravity finished its job, jamming a thick hunting dagger into his shoulder.

He cried out, sounding more animal than human. If I hadn't been concentrating on not getting skewered, I would have commented on the horrible state of his breath. But, as the situation stood, I took the opportunity instead to jam a second dagger through his rib cage, piercing what I hoped was a heart. I yanked out my dagger and knife, rolling off the body with a long sigh.

I took a moment to steady my breath, sitting upright. Taking hold of the dead guy's shirt, I cleaned the stains off my weapon, sheathing it. I managed to salvage one throwing knife, but the other one was cracked, possibly from being shoved into some ribs.

That would do it, I suppose.

Searching both bodies, I found a couple of healing herbs and some kunai, very similar to my own knives. I helped myself to their gear, stocking my food supplies to the brim.

"Wonderful way to begin!" I told the air happily, standing to check the surroundings.

There was most certainly something weird goin' on; these two had clearly not been right in the head.

Another loud snarl behind me, and I instinctively tumbled forward, feeling something sharp tear the back of my armor. I turned my head for a moment, watching more lightly armored nutters barge out of the woods.

"Oh God dammit!" My foot pushed off the grassy ground, and I took off sprinting.

It was always better to know when one was outclassed. Run today, and live to run yet another day!

It sounded like an elephant stampede, the warriors crashing mindlessly through the forest growth. I tore past the waves of trees, looking for any kind of hiding spot.

Before me, a small set of ruins, a deteriorated old building and bridge, probably a monastery. Hopefully not where more of these dudes had taken up residence.

As I ran up the bridge and across the empty courtyard, my eye caught a sparkle to my left.

"Brave soul, who fears not death. I shall guide you to the Nexus. So that you may lull the Old One back to slumber."

It was a sword, but transparent, and covered in a thin sheen of… glowing light?

"Whatever, I'm game." I mumbled, looking up to see the approaching mass of pissy people with sharp pointy weapons.

"Gimme that." I grabbed the sword and pulled. But, in the first of thousands of 'screw you' moments in my life, the sword pulled at me instead, ripping my body from my current physical location.

As the pulsing glow left my vision, I winced, rubbing at my eyes.

Thick brick walls surrounded me, the sound of gears bouncing off the stone. Dim torches hung from the wall, the scent of cedar and blood clung to the atmosphere.

"What the... hell...ooo? Anyone?" A soft grunt, then a shadow began to wrap around the bend in the wall ahead.

Footsteps.

"You have got to be…" I slipped my lance into my strong hand, readying a new dagger. As the man turned the corner, I hesitated. He was still human, covered from head to toe in thick armor. He gripped a long tapered sword and a small shield, smaller than my own at least.

I considered relaxing, but he turned my way and his erratic breathing stilled. After an awkward moment, he readied his sword and let out one hell of a battle cry, charging forward. But I was prepared, tossing the dagger. He froze were he stood, deflecting the weapon with his shield.

As soon as I had thrown, I sprinted forward. Once his shield began to lower, I leapt to the side, smashing my palm into his sword hand. At the same time, I twisted my shoulder, slamming my spear as hard as I could through his helmet. I was rewarded with a sickening crunch and a limp body. Kicking him off my spear, I searched him quickly, finding some stronger grass, before his body slowly began to ooze, and finally dissolved into a green mist.

I stumbled back, coughing.

"What," cough, "the hell is going on here?" Part of me could guess, but I didn't want a false positive. If there were no demons and I jumped to conclusions… Things could turn ugly fast in Boletaria.

With yet another sigh, I headed up a long series of stairs, running headfirst into an invisible wall.

"Shit!" I rubbed my throbbing skull, glancing at the doorframe. Hesitantly, I reached out, brushing a hand along the air. I met a solid wall, which confused me.

"This is that colorless fog?" I asked no one in particularly, pulling experimentally. Imagine my surprise when the wall did fade, leaving the path open.

"Excellent." I walked through, and immediately stumbled sideways. Something had roared, shaking the entire foundation of the room. Its screech was something I couldn't quite place, except into the 'FUCKING HUGE' category. I looked up, and began to cry inside.

"What… the…hell."

"Well, demons are real, good thing to know! Time to get soul harvesting! Power of the gods and what-not. Exactly what you asked for, you dumbass."

The giant, fat grey blob…thing roared again, bringing this gigantic axe down where my face was. The force of the damn weapon hitting the stone floor sent me flying halfway across the room.

What was even better, his blow collapsed the path. So now I was trapped in the room with it. It spun much faster than I expected, leaping with another axe swing. By some miracle, I dodged underneath his bulk, grabbing my spear with the same motion. Using both hands, I shoved the tip into the back of his kneecap.

The monster roared and spun, and my own spear's shaft slammed into my gut, launching me again into brick. Thankfully, the action kept my head on my neck, or at least the opposite of whatever that axe would do if it hit me. I stumbled to my feet, ducking under another swing.

This thing was getting pissed off, clearly, that I wasn't a ragdoll yet. It was even more aggressive now, breathing heavily as it lumbered towards me.

I wasn't even thinking at this point, just reacting. I spun behind him, grabbing out my weapon and launching it at the other foot's ankle. The monster screeched at it toppled over, more surprised than wounded. Not that I cared. I leapt onto his back, slamming the spear unceremoniously into the beast's brain.

It died. Horribly. The smell alone should have killed me. But eventually, it dissolved, leaving behind a flowing ethereal mass. It could have been souls; it could have been a really bad fart for all I cared. I collapsed to the floor, panting heavily.

"I really hope this doesn't become a habit." I rested for as long as I deemed it safe, bandaging my bruises with grass and salve. Another one of those damn sword-rock things caught my eye, and I swore darkly, reaching out for it.

**Author's Notes**

**All I really wanted to do was give my reaction to the wonder and horror that is this brilliant game. And so, in tribute, I'll be telling the story of Demon's Souls through my eyes through my character's painful journey. Players who have conquered the game will instantly recognize some of the game's trickiest moments in this story, and I hope that this will remind all of us of our individual first ventures into Demon's Souls... and how fucking hard it was.**

**Please rate and review, I will working really hard to make this the best thing I've ever written, because Demon's Souls deserves only the best! **


	2. Chapter 2

"Soul of the lost, withdrawn from its vessel. Let strength be granted so the world might be mended. Soul of the lost, withdrawn from its vessel. Let strength be granted so the world might be mended, so the world might be mended."

I felt like I was falling from the sky, dazed and very confused, but as I looked around, I realized I was rising from a puddle… thing. A pair of legs, wrapped in cloth, a staff, a girl's face, black hair, pale skin, stitched patches covering her eyes.

Wait, stitched what…?

"This is the Nexus. It holds together the northern land of Boletaria. Thou can'st not exit the Nexus, but each of the five Archstones will connect thee to another node."

I stood on shaky legs, eyeing her calmly.

"I was just fucking crushed by a gigantic dragon. I could feel my body being flattened. I died… what the fuc…" As I pointed accusingly, like it was her fault I was dead, I noticed my hand. It had a green tint to it, and seemed… transparent. I perked up. My body felt light, and very weak. My weapons and armor were weightless, and I made no noise as I shifted on the glowing floor. I couldn't breathe either, or feel the sensation of air at the very least.

Something was very wrong.

On my finger, a silver band appeared, shimmering into existence. It pulsed, and I winced. I tugged, but it wouldn't come off.

I glanced up, but the girl in black had already disappeared, like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"What. The. Fuck?"

"Will ye keep it down over there?" I spun towards the voice, startled.

"You slipped through the fissure too, did you?" He was glowing blue, his body as transparent as my own. For a dead guy, he sounded pretty calm and extremely disinterested.

"You came for demon's souls? Or to save this land, and be remembered as a hero." I shrugged slightly, but his mentioning of demon's souls did peak my interest. With a creepy giggle, he jerked a thumb to a giant rock slab behind him.

"Hunting for demons, friend? Try one of the Archstones. Now go. That is why you came, is it not… to this accursed land of Boletaria?"

No need to tell me twice pal, I'm gone.

I looked around for that girl again one last time, before giving in and walking over to the Archstone.

"So, is there a password or something?" I rapped my knuckle against it, quite startled when my body began dissolving into a thin green mist.

Before my surprise could even register, I had re-formed on a spacious stone bridge. My knees buckled beneath me, and I let out a gasp for air, forgetting that I apparently didn't need to breathe, since I was fucking _dead_.

As I steadied myself and looked around, I realized two things. One, I had no idea what I was fucking doing. I mean, 'go forth and kill ugly things' didn't really lead me in any specific direction. And second, I had finally made it to the Boletarian Palace. Missing a physical body, but I still made it.

Interrupting my musings, the entire bridge shook, sending me sprawling. An ear-splitting cry rent the air, and I looked up in time to see a scale-covered lizard grab a large pile of corpses before lifting off on leathery wings.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, before I collapsed back to the stone path.

"God Almighty…." What the hell had I gotten myself into? I didn't even know what I was doing, I had no sense of direction, and I had already been freaking _killed_. Forgive me for constantly bringing it up, but it takes a while to sink in that you're _dead._

I stood slowly, trying really, really hard not to cry. Screw this crap. I noticed another one of those sword/stone things, reaching for it hopefully.

Within moments, I was back at the Nexus, marveling absently at the magnificent architecture and cheerful atmosphere.

"Back already?" I heard a voice from around the Archstone call out. I turned to find a middle-aged man settled against the wall, an assortment of weapons and perishables stocked behind him.

"Giant-ass dragon." I tried to be nonchalant, hopping off the steps. He chuckled grimly, standing and offering a hand.

"I'm Stockpile Thomas." I shook, smirking.

"Understandable."

"When the Scourge came, I didn't know what hit me. When I came to, I found myself here, in the Nexus."

"So…we really are dead? The Nexus is Hell?" I asked, wringing my fingers inside my leather gauntlets.

He shrugged uncertainly, shaking his head. "I can't say for sure… My wife and daughter fell victim to the Demons." I felt that small stab of guilt; the Demons had taken more innocents. Was the pile of bodies strewn behind me truly worth the prize?

Most definitely.

"I would be worthless in battle." He went on, not privy to my monologue. He wouldn't have been so cheerful had he heard my thoughts. "At the very least, I hope to lend my assistance to you, brave slayers of demons. I would be happy to, lighten your load. And look after any extra baggage."

'Sounds oddly like a thief.' I chuckled, nodding to indicate understanding. I would drop off some expensive looking garbage to judge this guy's trustworthiness later on.

"And I'm Boldwin the Blacksmith!" Another fellow barked from a few feet down the hall, causing me to freak out and dodge away quickly. "It's quite simple." He continued, ignoring my expression. Clearly, he was used to freaking people out.

"Bring me all the souls you can. In trade, I can give you weapons, or forge ones you already have. With your souls, I can eke out a livin', and with my weapons, you can go on livin'."

'We're dead.' I wanted to snap.

"Not a bad deal, eh?" I nodded, bewildered, holding out my spear and shield.

"What can you do with these then, sir?" He gave them a once-over that I would not label as expertise, and nodded. "I can fix 'em right up for you, lad."

He grasped my arm, and I felt a pulling, like my power was being drained.

"Whoa, whoa, what the hell?" I yanked back, checking for scars.

"Souls." He mumbled, his form outlined with an ethereal white glow for a moment. "I work for souls, lad. You collect them from your kills, and I can make use of them."

'He's… addicted to them. Like a drug.' I was beyond stunned, watching him pop the head of my spear off the shaft, heating it up. "How much for back-up gear?" I asked, pointing to another spear and similar shield.

He glanced up hungrily, darting for my wrist. Again, I felt myself drained of power. The balding old man reached for a spear, hefted it, and placed it into my hand. He tapped on a series of shield, settling on a very nice metal one in the end.

"Take these, and God be with ye, lad." I nodded a wordless thanks, adjusting my equipment. I exchanged words with Thomas for a few more minutes, haggling on more supplies, before I headed back to the Archstone.

I glanced back around the Nexus, sucking in another empty breath. Then, with a fist raised, I slammed my palm into the Archstone, vanishing.


	3. Chapter 3

Thankfully, that damned dragon didn't seem to be hungry anymore.

I had returned to the castle outskirts, carefully inching my way across the bridge. I say inching, because these stupid wooden barricades had been scattered all over the place, and those damned mindless creatures from the forest felt the need to hide behind them and strike in a crude, effective, pincer formation.

"This is ridiculous." I smacked a hand against the closed gate, eyeing the chains and judging where the lever for the raising mechanism would be. "That's pretty high up…" I mumbled, turning away and taking the net set of stairs cautiously. As I inched around a corner, an arrow nicked the wall next to my face. With a little 'eep' I ducked back around, listening to the groans of the mindless demons as they lumbered around the corner.

Each one tasted spear, and I looted the bodies coldly, cursing the lot of them. Boldwin had been right, with every kill I could feel my strength slowly growing, my reactions quickening. This…this was the power I had been seeking. But these weaklings held nothing compared to the mature demons…like those dragons. I considered it, with a reckless grin. To gain enough power to slay a dragon, I would become unstoppable.

However…

I knocked aside another arrow with my shield, snapping the undead man's crossbow with my spear. I pushed and shoved violently, impaling him through the lung. I pulled, blood pooling almost as fast as the souls I collected.

I eventually made my way up a series of narrow, dark hallways, dodging out of the way of exploding firebombs. Unbelievable, how determined they were to end my existence. In a particularly dank corner, I found a thin rapier, coated in blood. I picked it up, examined it, and unhooked the sheath from the corpse, wrapping it around my belt.

Backup weapons are good.

Up another ramp, I paused, listening to a little scratching noise. "What the hell is…?" I squinted, then swore violently as a giant cannonball careened down the narrow walkway, slamming into my face at God knows how fast.

Mere moments later, I slammed my fist into the ground, swearing violently.

"Are ye alright lad?" I looked up, noticing the startled faces of Thomas and Boldwin.

"What…the fuck am I doing h…FUCK!" I hopped to my feet, steadying myself. I felt dizzy, and sick. No surprise, since I had just been pancaked. "Why am I so weak, what happened?"

"Did you…die?" Tom asked hesitantly.

Once upon a time, this would have been hilarious. Now…

He winced, clearly catching my death-riddled gaze. "I got run over by a cannonball. I think so."

An awkward cough, then Boldwin spoke up. "Ye better hurry back. Ye left a mark in the real world when ye died. If ye can reclaim it before another intelligent demon, ye can claim back yer soul."

"Fucking wonderful." I snarled, slamming my fist into the Archstone.

As I pulled my spear from yet another corpse, snatching up more souls, I snarled twisted curses at the fates.

I had to do it all over again. The fog must have been able to reanimate corpses, or demons repossessed them, or something. But everything was back. The monotony was driving me insane. Every growl, every trap, the exact same as before.

I rolled my eyes, coming up to the stairs. Lo and behold, at the base of the steps, a pool of blood. Keeping my eyes to the stairwell, I knelt down and scooped it up. It pulsed warmly, and I tried to draw power out of it, the same way Boldwin had done to me. But nothing happened.

Disgruntled, I cupped my hands to my mouth, drinking deeply.

It was my blood, either way it didn't matter. I was dead already.

But as I drank, I felt my old strength rejoin the energy I had gained from this trip. The effect was compounded, I felt amazing! Hurriedly, I sucked it all up, gulping it like the water I no longer needed. With a content sigh, I palmed the residue off of my lips, fastening my armor back in place.

"And…now I continue?" I asked no one in particular. No one in particular answered.

Triple-checking to make sure another iron deathtrap had not been created, I traversed the stairs to the castle's ramparts, where catapults lined the stone sides, and an arrow clipped my shoulder. I dove behind a sling for cover, biting my tongue as green mist flowed from the tear in my ghostly skin.

With care, I peeked around the corner, watching the archer point to his spear-wielding buddy.

Oh-boy, oh boy. I sprung out from cover, launching two knives. The first hit the archer in the shoulder, the second missing spectacularly. I grabbed at my shield, just in time to deflect the lance tip from my stomach, and ram my dagger into his throat. Shoving the body away even before it stilled, I kicked out the legs of the other demon, punching a hole into his chest with the blade. As I tugged back, the dagger wobbled, then snapped jaggedly in two.

It was almost comical. I held the serrated piece of metal, blinking slowly. With a sigh, I wiped away the blood, sheathing the remaining metal point casually.

Around the next corner was another armored knight with a short sword. He fell rather quickly, and I felt a strange pride as his strength was again added to mine. I finally felt like I was accomplishing something.

Until I was knocked down another set of stairs and blown up by exploding powdered kegs.

One hell of a messy death, let me tell you. Waking up from that was worse than any hangover you could care to mention.

Ever.

This time, after grabbing my lifeblood, I kicked open the switch near the bottom of the tower, relieved to see the glowing sword in the stone off in the distance. I had made a shortcut, at the very least. With a groan, I sheathed my gear and began ascending the stairs again.

I brushed past a fog door, stepping onto a balcony that overlooked a sprawling courtyard. I was about to turn away, when the sound of metal on metal floated from below. Squinting, I could see shapes swarming together. I blinked for a moment, confused.

'They're massing around something. Or, someone…' Eyes wide, I bolted for the nearest descending stairs. "Another living being?"

Demons met spear point in a rather hurried fashion, skulls and weapons cracked against shields. It was laughable, how weak these monsters seemed compared to earlier. Finally, I found the resisting shape within the cluster, slamming a man mid-leap with the butt of my spear.

Back to back, we finished the demons with amazing ease. Once the last had fallen, he both let out a slow breath, turning to face the other.

"My name is Ostrava of Boletaria. My thanks for your kind rescue. If I may, you fight rather well."

"You're not too bad yourself." He looked like a general in the army, with his well-crafted armor and expensive weapons. He carried a heavy-looking long sword and ornate shield, both made of gold.

One hand reached behind his back, and withdrew a small decorative tube. "Accept this as a token of my gratitude."

I took the expensive looking telescope gingerly; thanking him as he brushed passed me.

"Now, I must go. There is something for me to take care of."

So, with that, I was on my own again, carefully plunging into the depths of the courtyards. My path had taken me up the granite stairs and around the side of the castle wall. At the end of this path, the road bent right. But the occupied space on the left caught my attention first. I noted with irritation the several large cannonballs held within a flimsy wooden container. On the path I was meant to take, I could make out a small wire, ankle high, which connected to the planks.

It was yet another trap, when I tripped it, I would become a pancake yet again. Farther along the path, I could spot more demon soldiers lying in wait.

My gaze shifted back to the trap rig, and I chuckled. Sliding my spear into the planks at an angle, I heaved backwards, snapping through the barricade.

With a satisfying metal on metal clang, the giant balls of death careened down the narrow path, flattening the entire group. With a whistle and song I strolled down the path, casually looting the fallen bodies. As I finished bandaging some cuts with the spare grass I had been accumulating, a bright light exploded overhead. With a dull hate, I noted the next path, a long stretch of ridge currently engulfed by flames. A gigantic red lizard circled overhead.

"You have got to be….shitting me." The dragon, noticing me, swooped around lower and blasted more fire at my face. This thing was determined to kill me. After every pass, it would look for me, and then once again blast more fire.

I gathered up my equipment, gulping. After a moment of formulating a plan, I hid behind the nearest wall. The dragon, having blown off enough steam, decided it was time to head back home. The moment its back was turned, I bolted shamelessly across the open stretch, not stopping until I had dove into the next dimly lit alcove.

I collapsed against the wall, shoving a middle finger at the dragon as it landed on its perch. "I'm going to come back and murder you, just fair warning." I mumbled, heading off down the next flight of stairs.

Finally, fucking finally, I smashed my heel into the lever of the gate, listening to the purest joy that was the chains raising the steel lattice. And then my face fell, as I heard concrete split with the sound of thunder.

I rushed down the tower, back to the front gates where I had begun my trek.

"Oh fuck." A spear was embedded into the ground, easily three times my height. I edged along the wall, trying to take a peek inside. It was no use; the inner gate was jet black. I paused in thought, glancing back to the Archstone.

"Screw this, I'll be back later."

"Here's yer spear and shield lad, good as new." I exchanged my current gear with my repaired equipment, handing him my broken dagger.

"Another purchase. Can you fix that one up and get me a similar make?" He nodded, exchanging me a knife for more of my souls. I tested the weight and balance, nodding.

"Excellent. Hey Thomas!"

The tired man looked up, smiling softly. "Yes, Slayer of Demons?" I handed him the rapier I had found.

"I got no use for this; can you pass it along to anyone else?" He nodded, hiding the weapon away with the rest of his gear.

"We've had another guest arrive since your last visit." He said it in a very offhand manner, like it was a common occurrence.

I felt my eyes widen, completely taken aback. "Wait, waitwaitwaitwait! There's another spirit here?" I thought for a moment of Ostrava, the knight I had just recently met. But he hadn't seemed interested in teaming up, nor had he seemed dead. I wasn't paying close enough attention, in retrospect.

"Yes, there is. She too is another Demon Slayer, a young magician and high class citizen, from her speech."

I raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but Thomas just nodded. "Yes, she headed off to Boletaria after I mentioned you."

"She WHAT?" My gaze darted back to the Archstone, thinking of the soldiers and other creatures I had encountered. Cursing, I rushed back over to the Archstone and slammed my fist against the rock.

I knew something was wrong as colors swam into my vision. The bodies of the reanimating slaves were strewn across the ground, clearly dead. Having stood at this spot four times previously, and having seen exactly the same scene each time, this difference was startling. My eyes swept up the perimeter as I sped forward. The massive spear remained impaled in the ground before the gate, but the fog had been breached.

'Shit.' I rushed into the blackness, spotting a dark outline in front of me. I approached it hesitantly, brushing the tip of my spear against it. I frowned; the weapon had hit something metallic. Something that, immediately afterwards, shot a painful looking object at my face. Ducking out of the way to avoid an imminent spike through the face, I rolled to a corner of the room, putting a column between myself and blobulous maximus.

Back to a wall, I let a dark curse escape my mouth, listening for the slithering of the creature. Of course, that's when I noticed the heavy breathing and muffled curses from the other side of the room. I glanced up, stunned, just in time for a blast of blue-white light to erupt in front of me. The room exploded with light, and before it vanished back into the darkness, a withering black slug monster vaporized into dust particles.

"More are coming, run!" A feminine shape emerged from the darkness, yanking my arm out of its socket as she raced past. I stumbled after her with a shout, slamming shoulder first into the opposite corner.

"What's chasing you?" I gasped, righting myself as another sludge beast closed in.

"Big blob." She gasped out, popping the cap on a vial of dust. She closed her eyes and the powder glowed a pale blue, before fading away.

'Some kind of magic…' I had the time to conclude as she grabbed another vial.

"Do you need Spice?" She barked hastily, grabbing a stick off of her belt, "Or have spare herbs?"

"Got no magic." I spoke rapidly, shoving my shield against a creature, stunning it momentarily. Retrieving an herb from my pouch, I tossed it to her hastily. "Take it, I'll cover you."

"They're weak in the back." She cautioned, yanking her robes up to her stomach and spreading the salve around the wound. "Be careful, watch for the big one."

"Big one?" I sighed, dreading that encounter. Remembering the girl's words, I dashed behind the slug and ran it through on my spear. My eyes widened as it began to turn, yanking out the weapon, I shoved it back in roughly, finally killing the thing. Of course, there being more than one, another slug took a shot at my back. My soul blood splashed the column, fading quickly. I gasped, dropping my spear and clutching my side.

"Move it!" The girl shoved me to the ground, raising the silver stick.

'A wand.' My mind supplied, as a ball of blue magic collected and launched forward, slicing clean through the blob creature.

"Note to self," I mumbled, spreading salve on my new wound, "learn how to do that."

"Less talking," she grabbed my uninjured arm and yanked; "and more running."

As we darted through the room, I caught sight of the aforementioned giant blob. "Cut right." I growled, yanking against her arm. "Take out the big one."

"Are you nuts?" I heard her call out, followed by a faint "Guess so…" A beam of magic pierced the giant monster, followed a moment later by my pointed spear. Growling madly, I repeatedly slammed the weapon forward, piercing a different section of muck, searching for a weak spot.

"Behind you!" I spun, watching about five of the munchkin globs slither towards me.

"Take care of them, then!" I growled, diving into an open section of floor. She began to blast them as I circled the main beast, jabbing it every moment I felt safe.

What seemed to be an hour later, the beast let out a dying gurgle and began to dissolve into the floor. Letting out a breath and looking up, I noticed the girl directly across from me, a glittering curved sword poised for another swing. She lowered the weapon, eyes on me.

We were basically doing the same thing, scanning the other for any threatening signs, sizing each other up.

On her person, I noted an ornate silver circlet, loose mage robes and her glittering wand. She held a pair of swords, both glowing. While I couldn't say much about the glow, I recognized the weapons right away. The curved right hand blade was a Falchion, a quick and light weapon designed for slashing flesh to ribbons. In her left hand, replacing a shield, was a long, thin Rapier, a defensive blade used to deflect and pierce.

Interesting setup…

Our eyes met again, my dull grey to her icy blue, and we both looked away awkwardly. Before I could speak up, a roar echoed inside my ears. Suddenly, power flooded through my body, a mass of soul unlike anything I had ever felt before. It began to expand, pouring out of my body like a mist. Moments later, I felt a body erupt and grow around me, trapping me inside a shell. Every ounce of my being was burning cold, in a pain so bad that I would much rather have been eaten by the slug.

Finally, after a scenic trip through Hell's Ninth Circle, the agony that was existence began to fade away, and I could open my eyes. Everything either hurt, or was dead numb. I managed to sit upright, glancing over. The magician didn't seem to be faring any better, palms slammed over her temples, eyes tightly shut. Swearing, I cheerfully stood upright as she opened her eyes, and offered a hand. She took it, allowing me to pull her to her feet, against the wishes of my protesting muscles.

"Well," she spoke up, letting out an angry breath. "Fucking oww."

"Agreed." I noticed the glow first, a very similar stone with a blade sticking out of it. Resting before it was a thin silver orb, hovering a foot above the cobbled flooring. Both of us realized what the object was, and both of us darted forward to claim it.

"It was my fight!" The female screeched, shoving me to the side. I retaliated by tackling her to the floor and reaching for the glowing mass.

"I opened the door, back off, bitch." As I touched the pure essence of the creature we killed, she grabbed my wrist and began to tug the soul with her other hand.

"Well then we'll split it, sound fair?" The solution was so childishly logical, I couldn't help but laugh. "I dunno if the essences of a demon works like that..." Making sure I had a firm grip on the soul, I tugged hard.

Even in a tangled mess we were in, the pair of us still managed to glance at each other in surprise. The soul had indeed been separated, with each of us holding a mass of the thin white substance. "It better be a damn even number." I grumbled, standing myself up and crushing the half-soul. Instantly, a wave of energy, similar to earlier, flooded my body. Although the power felt disjointed, like the energy was being stored by my soul, and that my body was only receiving part of the benefit.

"How odd," The girl mumbled as she rose, the last wisps of power being absorbed by her soul.

"You're tellin' me." I grumbled, adjusting my gauntlets. Out of the blue, she shoved a hand into my face. "You helped me out back there, thank you." I glanced at the hand, chuckled, and then grasped it gently.

"Joshua, heir of the Southern Tribe's throne; for whatever that's worth, of course."

"Lilly, of the East. Why have you come to these ruined lands?" The fallen prince of the Barbarian Tribes working alongside a ranked member of the Mages Guild? Pretty sure we had warred at some point or another.

"Same reason as you, in'nit?" I asked back casually, brushing a hand against the glowing archstone. "To kill some demons."

** Author's Notes**

**Been kickin' around the next couple chapters, trying to figure out where I want this to go. I'm basically the worst updater in the world, and that's why this took so long. School an stuff really isn't an excuse. No guarantees on a next update, but I will probably have one out before the end of the month. **

**Comments and critique are welcomed, is this chapter better or worse? The other two were somewhere a little bit above 1,500 words, this one rammed the 3,000 mark and kept climbing. I usually like to aim for about 2,000, so use the three I've written as a guide for the next ones. Anyway, I'll shut up with my rambling and go to bed. Ciao.  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

"So…what now?" I asked as we descended the Nexus's outer stairs, adjusting a gauntlet and glanced at the ring of Archstones.

"Isn't it obvious?" She responded with another question, already heading to the circle of Archstones. "We need to kill the other demons, to be able to meet with this… 'Old One.' So, I'm heading out," She pointed up, at the Archstone of the Burrower. "You take care of another one of them."

'Impatient, ain't we?' I couldn't help but snort, glancing back at the Boletarian stone.

"And we don't take care of the castle demons first…because?" I asked, thinking back to the Palace. King Allant was the one who began this nightmare, according to that kid upstairs. If the King had a close connection to the Old One, he would naturally have more power than regular demons and I damn sure wanted to be the one to take his head off his shoulders.

"I told you already," she painstakingly explained, grinding her teeth. "We need to explore the surrounding lands as well; we may find clues to help defeat the demons. King Allant clearly did not understand what he was dealing with. It would be dangerous to chase after the Old One unprepared..."

'So, instead, we're just blindly following that monumental…' I tried not to laugh out loud. 'We have no reason to trust a word the kid said. It's basically his fault we're trapped here anyway.'

She must have taken my silence as an agreement, but she still shuffled awkwardly, tapping her boots against the chilly Nexus floor.

I had to look away as I rolled my eyes. At least this way, I could search for some other high ranked demons to take care of. I headed up the opposite side, "Be careful in there, alright? You really don't wanna die."

Lilly arched a thin eyebrow, but the corner of her lip twitched upwards as well. "Wouldn't want that, would we?" She ran her palm along the surface of the Archstone, dissolving into a fine mist.

"You will'st make the choice, in the end." I stiffened, slowly turning. And there she was: clutching her staff tightly, the blind candle maiden.

I narrowed my eyes, knuckles clenched. She was the one who lead us to that kid monumental. She also seemed to know a lot more about these demons than she let on.

"You have a strong thirst for souls." She continued, gliding her way up the stairs towards me. "You represent the midpoint of creation. It will be your choice to save or damn this world. You will deliver Boletaria to its new masters, be they human or demon."

I blinked.

"Because of your status, I can help you, Slayer of Demons. I can bind the loose souls you have gathered, making them a permanent part of your essence. It is a dark path, but it is one only you may walk."

I nodded, jaw clenched. This girl creeped me the hell out. She was willing to offer dark power to someone who could damn the world? Was she even truly human? That bothered me, momentarily. Maybe she wasn't really the monumental's pawn. Maybe I had an ally on another team.

"Give me power, then." I knelt before her, and felt an icy hand on my shoulder.

"Soul of the mind, key to life's ether.  
>Soul of the lost, withdrawn from its vessel.<br>Let strength be granted, so the world might be mended.  
>So the world might be mended. "<p>

Creepy, that.

I could feel it around me, the ever-present flow of souls I had gathered. Now they were constricting, tightening around me until they pushed through my body, fusing with my soul. Instantly, I felt stronger. The presence of the countless souls had faded, but they had not vanished. They had simply been absorbed by my own soul, to add their strength to mine.

"This is… amazing." I flexed my fingers, rising. "Thank you. As you've said, I'll use this power as I see fit."

The girl in black nodded, smiling a sad little smile. I shivered, turning away from her and towards the Archstones. "Alighty then, let's do this!"

"Oi! You over there!" I paused, lowering my hand. Behind me, the maiden in black had vanished, again, and a chubby old priest was heading my way.

"Ye..ah?" I asked, lowering the tip of my spear. He stopped at the base of the stairs, and I took a few steps down.

"Are you by chance headed for the Shrine?" He fidgeted, looking anywhere except at me. Whoa-boy… This was not going to end well.

"I'm leaving the Nexus, yeah." The guy practically crawled up to me.

"Please, please save Saint Urbain! The last I heard of him, he was travelling through the Shrine of Storms. I ventured to save him… but I have not the power. The candle maiden trusts you, so you must be strong."

I let out a breath, mulling it over. I really had no reason to go out of my way to save someone.

"If you do this, I can help you."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "How can you help me, if I may?"

"I can bless you." I coughed, choking down a laugh. "I can grant you the miracles of God."

'Is this guy for real?' I kept nodding, letting him continue.

"I can give you the ability to close your wounds, restore yourself from near death. All you need is the blessings of a priest, a talisman, and faith. God will give you the strength you need."

He had me at 'near death.' "I don't have a talisman though. Do you have one I can borrow?"

His eyes widened a little. "Oh, nonono." I tried really hard not to roll my eyes, asking for patience from his so-called God. "A talisman is not a dirty, common object, like the wands used by those black-soul magicians!" I made a note to talk to Lilly about that one… "A talisman is a sacred object; it forms a bond with the user. Not just any talisman will work. Saint Urbain can bless you with one, if you meet with him."

'So, I can learn magic from you, but I can't use it… fuck that.' I snorted in my head.

But what the hell, I had nothing to lose. "I'll find the Saint. Bless me, Father."

Long story short, he mumbled a couple of generic, Holy-book phrases and praises. I tried really hard not to fall asleep. But it ended quickly, thank God.

It felt kinda ironic to say that… since I was now some kind of Holy Warrior.

Oh wells, I knew the prayer to heal; now all I needed was a Talisman.

With a wave, I turned back to the Archstone, finally done with my procrastinating.

Long story made short… "How the fucking bloody hell can I stab a skeleton?" I backed away from the Archstone, clutching a hand to my disembodied chest. "Mother fuckers!" Take my word for it, that replaces a longer series of descriptive swear words pertaining to the skeletons' mothers.

A spiked ball-on-a-stick was shoved underneath my nose. I raised an eyebrow, following the weapon's grip to a slender arm, up to a shoulder, then a neck and a face.

"Hey Lilly."

"Smash their faces in, you idiot." She shoved the weapon into my grip, snorting.

"How the hell did you get this?" I asked offhand, testing the chipped Morning Star. It looked like the weapons carried by the warriors of the Church. Much different than my spear, but it would clearly work better on the skeletons.

She jerked her thumb to the Archstone of the Chieftan, directly below where we conversed.

"I assumed you went there first. Did you not?"

"No," I shook my head, "This was my first time back out."

"Don't." She growled quickly, giving the stone a very dark glare. "The Archstone next to the Palace leads to the Stonefang Tunnels. I was familiar with the area, but not the ore mines themselves.

"It didn't end well?" I asked out of curiosity. She shook her head.

"Not particularly, no. So, I came back, learned some new spells from a residential mage, and headed out to find you. I had hoped that you would have visited the mines before."

"Where does that lead to?" I asked; genuinely frightened by the painful expression she wore. What could be that bad…?

"The Valley of Defilement." She said the name curtly. I cried.

"The… the cursed Valley of Death?" I clarified, emitting a genuine whimper. That was the land of Lost Astraea. Supposedly even the Holy Priestess, a gentle and kind soul, even by my harsh standards, had lost her way in that damned hellhole. Nothing came out of that Valley alive. Case in point, Lilly was dead again.

"Well, fuck."

She nodded, crossing her arms. "The beasts can be cleansed by fire, but the entire area is full of disease and rotten flooring. One wrong step and you fall to your death. Anyway, along the way I picked up that mace. I won't wield it, but it may be something you'll find useful.

I puffed out a cheek, nodding. "Thank you, Lil."

She glared. "At least have the decency to refer to me by my full given name." Her eyes softened a touch. "Good luck out there." I nodded, clutching the mace.

"The best to you, as well."

"This feels so much better!" I was having a real blast, cracking open skulls of these monsters. The skeletons of the Shrine were real pains in the ass. They would slither along the ground as a jumbled mass of bones, giant fuck-off curved swords outstretched. At full height, the monsters were taller than me; they were stronger and quicker as well. Luckily, they weren't very resilient, or intelligent. After one of their two-handed swings, I would dance behind them, slamming my new favorite toy into their spines. That was usually enough to take care of them.

The area itself was pretty moody. The clouds spun about and the wind howled, silencing the footsteps of the skeletons sneaking up on their victims. Now and again the twisting path ran alongside a cliff edge, which dropped off into the stormy waters below. I wondered briefly if I was on an island, somewhere in the west. The arches I passed beneath were crumbling ruins. Stone and wood debris lay everywhere, suggesting the slow rot of this civilization.

It got me thinking about what Lilly had said earlier, regarding the Tunnels. She was right; I had visited before, but had never entered the mining depths. But these Archstones… what was their purpose? They connected seemingly unrelated areas throughout the land. Northern Boletaria was one of the most prosperous trading empires before the Deep Fog engulfed it. The Southern Mines… I was a native of the deep south, so I knew the stories of the Nation of Burrowers better than most. My tribe was actually an offshoot of that main kingdom, established as a trading center and cultural barrier between the tribes of the mines and the outside world. And thus why I spoke Boletaria's language fluently, and why I didn't wield the stereotypical club and shield of the south.

Contrast to those Archstones, I knew little of the others. Everyone knew the rumors of the Saint Astraea, but I wasn't familiar with the location of the Valley, or the people that inhabited it. The fourth stone connected here, to the land of these storm-worshipping loons. And the fifth… I recalled why my friend the monumental had said.

"… the wise queen of the great ivory tower."

I racked my brains for a good minute, but couldn't think of any great towers besides the Latrian Keep. That last Archstone, the one that went to a 'land of giants' had been cracked and broken. Honestly, the only giants I knew of were children's stories about a kingdom of giants, Anor Londo, and even then I only knew the same story as every other ten year old of the South, no one had ever discovered such a place.

After wading my way through masses of the demons, I finally reached the outskirts of the Shrine. A fog door shimmered in the distance; two skeletal archers perched on the roof. I ducked under their arrows, using broken carts as cover. In one corner, I made a lucky find, stumbling on a small metal object lodged into the ground. With a grunt, I yanked it out, brushing off the dirt. Even under a layer of crusted blood, I recognized the object.

I smirked, clutching my new Talisman. "Kick, ass." I glanced up at the cloudy skies, waving my prize. "Thanks, dude."

Spinning the object around my finger, I holstered it to my belt, narrowly dodging an arrow to the face. Ducking under the stone archway, I brushed my fingers against the colorless fog door, peering past it. After a moment of stunned silence, I turned around and slumped to the ground, crying into my palms.

"What the bloody fuck are you doing here?" I groaned, tossing a middle finger up high. I recognized the beast as the massive fat monster from the beginning of my journey, giant axe and everything. It was a clone. "There can be more than one of them? Fuck that!" I growled, standing. As I turned to pull back the fog, something else caught my eye.

It was a thin corridor built into the arch, perpendicular to the path I had been taking. I glanced down the hallway, then back at the blob monster waiting eagerly. "Screw this shit." I made my way down the side hall slowly, keeping all senses on high alert for any signs of more skeletons. I heard a click at my feet, glancing down at a piece of floor my foot had pressed down on. A second click ahead of me, and I let out a rude word. With reflexes faster than I thought I had, I pressed myself to the cold stone wall, sucking in my stomach as a series of razor sharp darts shot down the hallway, ringing sharply against the other stone wall.

"T..trap." I informed myself, letting out a slow breath. At the end of the hall an opening lead out to a rocky cliff, while a set of stairs led father up.

"Fuck this." I grumbled, edging my way up the stairs, shield raised. At the top, I counted three skeletons, two with bows and one with a sword. Before the closest, the sword user, noticed me, I pounced forward, bringing the mace forcefully down on the demon's skull. I was already on the move as the skeleton's bones shattered into the stone, swinging the mace at the twin archers. The first swing knocked one over the edge of the wall, and it fell to the ground without a sound. My second swing stunned the other skeleton, and a third sent him after his partner.

Letting my breath calm, I continued across the stone and down the other stairs, staring at the floor with a sarcastic smirk.

Another raised tile. "Yeah," I hefted a stone and tossed it downwards. "No." The rock pressed down the switch, the stone splitting in two from the contact. Almost faster than my eye could follow, the hall was attacked by a flood of arrow tips. I smirked, feeling intelligent. In an alcove, under a rotting body, I found a rusted key, pocketing it and some grass. With a whistle I headed back up the stairs and across the arch to where I started, taking a look at the other path. One skeleton stood perched with a bow, the path I would take leading directly beneath him.

"Coolio." I began to run, ducking under an arrow and hurling myself through the opening. Instantly I picked up on a familiar clinking noise, turning to see another skeleton charging forward.

"Dammit." I blocked his swing and took a step backwards. As the monster came forward, I slammed the mace downwards twice, adding in a third shot for fun.

"This place is a hell, in'nit?" I asked the pile of bones conversationally, shaking the numbness out of my shield arm before climbing the next set of stairs.


End file.
